McNutt, Kim Donald "Rail Transit Alternatives for the Halifax Metropolitan Region"

The idea of commuter rail transit in the Halifax metropolitan region is a topical issue. The notion was examined in a 1975 study carried out by a local consultant and updated in 1980 by the provincial Department of Transportation. Both concluded that rail transit in the Halifax area was not feasible at the time and would not be viable in the foreseeable future. However, politicians and the public have continued to press for further study and perhaps a demonstration project. This study was mounted in response to that popular support for rail transit.

The Halifax area possesses an existing rail corridor between Windsor Junction and-Halifax which is in excellent condition. This corridor either contains or is adjacent to significant residential areas such as Bedford and Sackville. Rail transit existed in this corridor up until 1960. Since then there has been substantial residential growth in Bedford-Sackville and some type of alternative to the automobile for commuter purposes has been desired. Present train scheduling does not permit commuter use of current trains.

The Halifax area is small compared to other Canadian cities with rail transit. However, demand figures show that the Halifax to Bedford-Sackville corridor could generate as much traffic as some heavy rail commuter runs in the Montreal area. The evidence suggests that the current bus share of peak period trips between Bedford-Sackville and Halifax is 816 out of 4,942 daily peak period trips (16.5%). If half of the bus trips could be diverted to rail, a small commuter rail project could be viable.

The largest drawback to a small rail transit service in the Halifax area does not seem to be demand, but capital costs of equipment. Analysis shows that a sample service of two or four daily round trips between Bedford-Sackville and Halifax would run deficits in the million dollar range if capital cost of equipment were included. However, if Via Rail could rent spare rail-liners at a nominal fee, some rail service options could even achieve surpluses. For instance, a rail service with two daily round trips charging a fare of $2.00 for a one-way ride could achieve an annual surplus of $25,000 over operating costs assuming a 100% seated load.

If subsidies or nominal rental fees are not possible, then the existing bus transit system should continue to serve the needs of commuters between Bedford-Sackville and Halifax. Deficits run by the bus system are much less than the deficits a rail service would accrue. It is recommended that official contact be made between appropriate government agencies and the rail companies to ascertain the availability of rolling stock, or alternatively, it is recommended that sources of subsidy be explored in order to decide if a rail transit service would be feasible in the-Halifax area.

Atlantic Planners Institute

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This document was last modified on February 20, 2001.